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Jackie Robinson
Click for video.The Brooklyn Dodgers were the first Major League Baseball team to debut an African American on their roster during a baseball game. Jackie Robinson was admired for his skill as an athlete, as well as his courage, dignity, bravery, and individuality. -
Sweatt v. Painter
The Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter brought up the issue of “separate but equal” facilities in regards to law schools. When it was discovered that a law school for African Americans was inferior to the white law school at the University of Texas, the court held that just because the blacks and whites were separated, the black already have a lower chance in a law career. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court decided to overturn the case Plessy v. Ferguson. In the end, Chief Justice Earl Warren decided that, along with the other eight justices, separate schools for African Americans were unconstitutional and violated the guarantee of equal protection of the law because of the racial separation. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Click for video.An African American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white person and she got arrested. This sparked a state-wide bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama; organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the NAACP. This boycott lasted close to a year, and more than ninety percent of blacks stayed off the buses. However, public bus integration moved forward in the end. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The SCLC was formed by representatives from the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and other groups throughout the states. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected leader of this group, and strongly promoted nonviolent action through spiritual and Christian influence. -
Little Rock Nine
Click for video. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard in to Little Rock Central High School to keep nine black children from attending a segregated school. However, President Eisenhower responded by sending in federal troops on September 24th, 1957 to escort the children into the school. These kids were followed around by soldiers for the rest of the school year, and Orval Faubus ended up closing all the schools in retaliation the following year. -
Greensboro Four
Click for video. Four college students began a sit-in movement at the lunch counter in a Woolworth’s store after being refused the service of coffee. They remained at the store counter until it closed. They kept returning with more protestors, and ended each long day with a prayer. -
Freedom Rides
Click for video. The Freedom Rides movement began with a group of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) members going on a bus trip through the South. At each rest stop, the blacks would try to use the whites-only waiting rooms and facilities like bathrooms and lunch counters. They experienced mild harassment in their trip from Washington D.C. for New Orleans, Louisiana. On May 14th, however, a bus was swarmed by a mob. -
Albany Movement
Leaders of the Albany Movement enlisted Martin Luther King Jr. into their protest in hopes of strengthening it. King’s tactic was to fill the jails of Albany, so the local government would have no choice but to listen to the peoples’ word. However, police chief Prichette used the surrounding jails to incarcerate all of the protestors and kept Albany’s jails empty. King’s tactic failed and he left Albany, but not empty-handed; he gained new experience on how to deal with t -
James Meredith
James Meredith attempted to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Because he was “solely a negro,” he was rejected from the college, but the federal court allowed him to attend the university anyways. On September 30th, Meredith arrived at the campus escorted by 500 federal marshals, but was met by violence from a mob of 2,500 non-student citizens. Meredith graduated in the summer of 1963. -
Birmingham Campaign
Click for video. Martin Luther King Jr. led this campaign in Birmingham, Alabama and targeted its segregation laws. King used his tactic the same tactic in Albany and got arrested on the 12th while conducting marches and sit-ins. Because the people were scared of losing their jobs, King recruited students, but they were met by police dogs and fire hoses. The city soon gave in to King’s demands however and President Kennedy helped to reinforce these demands. -
Medgar Evers
NAACP leader Medger Evers was assassinated by a KKK member named Byron De La Beckworth. Beckworth faced two trials soon after, but was set free on both. At the age of 73, Beckworth was brought back into court and convicted of the murder of Evers and sentenced to life in prison. -
March on Washington
Click for video. Roughly 250,000 people attended a demonstration for civil rights in Washington DC. This was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital and the first to have extensive television coverage. At this demonstration Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a Dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act
This act outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities and women. Power given to enforce this act was initially weak but was enhanced during the later years. The act was signed and put into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. -
The Voting Rights Act
This was a piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discrimination voting practices. This act also established a federal oversight of election administration. This act was created and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was a result of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
